Learned Helplessness

Karyna Hetman

Learning Targets:

Readers should be able to...

Define learned helplessness
List warning signs of learned helplessness in students
Describe different strategies teachers can use to deter learned helplessness

Have you ever had a class that was so excruciatingly annoying and difficult for you, so much that it was a just a draining, constant cycle of saying "I'm gonna fail" before every test, then feeling defeated after seeing your test score, and then starting off a new unit even more confused, nervous, and defeated as before, as then the cycle repeats?

What it Learned Helplessness?

If so, you have experienced Learned Helplessness. This is the phenomena where the occurrence of negative events can make an individual feel that they are not in control of their circumstances (helplessness), and in turn this feeling is adapted (learned) and will most likely be carried on and keep the individual in that lost, helpless place (Wailing & Martinek ,1995).

For example....

In Precalc class in High School, I struggled with the material and started out the year with some bad test grades. This lowered my self esteem in the class and made me nervous that this class was becoming too challenging for me. So, I would then stress out before tests and instead of studying harder I would just skim the notes to try to review, and running through my head would be all these thoughts of failure and negativity. Thus, I ended up doing badly on the test and would come into class the following day feeling hopeless and uninterested in the new unit being taught. As you can catch on, this creates a deadly cycle for students.

As teachers, we need to stop this cycle of learned helplessness if we want our students to succeed. But how can we tell when this is happening to students?

Warning signs your student may be experiencing learned helplessness....

(Walling & Martineck, 1995; Ray, 2023)

However...

Sometimes students won't show any warning signs but might be struggling with learned helplessness in silence. One way we as teachers can check to see if our students are struggling with learned helplessness is to assess students' feelings toward their learning through questionnaires and surveys. We can ask questions regarding whether students feel they are in control of how they perform in school and question their attitudes toward certain subjects in class. This will help get direct feedback on students' thoughts and can help detect learned helplessness in students who might have otherwise not shown it.

Strategies we can use as teachers...

(Walling & Martineck, 1995; Ray, 2023)

In conclusion.....

It is important for us as teachers to be able to step in and fix situations of learned helplessness to teach students that they accomplish anything if they put in effort and have a positive mindset. By doing this, we can give students the skills they need to be able to succeed throughout school and to know how to be able to continue on when subjects get difficult.

Now, let's quiz your knowledge.....

Which of the following is NOT a strategy that can be used for a student with self helplessness?

A) Emphasize effort rather than success

B) Give leadership roles

C) Practice positive self talk

D) Reassure students they are not responsible for their mistakes

Which student is the least at risk of learned helplessness?

A) Billy, who is usually vocal but doesn't raise his hand to participate during math.

B) Jenny, who constantly refuses help from the teacher.

C) Phillip, who asks lots of questions with a confused face in science.

D) Paula, who thinks it doesn't matter whether she studies or not.

Answers...

1) D

2) C

References:

Ray, M. (2023). Learned helplessness in students. STARR COMMONWEALTH. Retrieved from https://starr.org/2023/learned-helplessness-in-students/#:~:text=Learned%20helplessness%20in%20students%20is,and%20a%20lack%20of%20motivation.

Walling, M. D. , & Martiknek, T. J. (1995). Learned helplessness: A case study of a middle school student. JOURNAL OF TEACHING IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION, 14, 454-466.

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